From Publishers Weekly
Mayle's novel purports to be a confessional autobiography-of the author's dog, Boy. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Woof! Woof! After so many books by our two-legged "best friends" that try to decipher our "secret lives", it's so nice to have someone of our kind tell it like it really is. A dog's life can be very a good one indeed, especially if you are as lucky as the hero of our story to find an aimable human companion like Mayle, author of A Year in Provence (LJ 4/1/90), and Hotel Pastis (LJ 9/1/93). In this charming, if at times too cutsey, memoir, Boy, a shaggy but highly intelligent canine of mysterious lineage (we never use the politically incorrect "mutt"), recounts his humble beginnings with his 12 siblings, his abandonment by his mother and later by his unpleasant owner, and his wanderings through the Provencal countryside until he is adopted by the Mayles (an event also recounted in Toujours Provence, LJ 51/1/91). Judging from Edward Koren's drawings, what Boy lacks in devasting good looks is made up by his plucky personality. Canine lovers as well as francophiles and fans of Mayle's books will enjoy this. I give it three paws.Wilda "Coco Chanel" Williams, "Library Journal"Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
For dog owners, past or present, Peter Mayle's newest novel is a delight. Listeners follow the literal tracks of Boy, a shaggy canine, and his views on wine-tasting parties, houseguests, the temptation of white bedspreads, tom-cats and humans' peculiar com-pulsion with personal hygiene. Simon Jones is a master at conveying Boy's puzzlement and outrage with deadpan perfection. His British voice provides just the right tone to the arch memoir set, once again, in the French countryside. His timing and emphasis are finely tuned and keep the listeners eager for more of Boy's escapades and droll philosophy. R.F.W. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description
The bestsellling author of A Year in Provence and Hotel Pastis now surveys his territory from a differnt vantage point: the all-fours perspective of his dog, Boy--"a dog whose personality is made up of equal parts Boswell and Dr. Johnson, Mencken and A.A. Milne" (Chicago Sun-Times). Enhanced by 59 splendidly whimsical drawings by Edward Koren.


From the Publisher
4 1-hour cassettes


From the Inside Flap
The bestsellling author of A Year in Provence and Hotel Pastis now surveys his territory from a differnt vantage point: the all-fours perspective of his dog, Boy--"a dog whose personality is made up of equal parts Boswell and Dr. Johnson, Mencken and A. A. Milne" (Chicago Sun-Times). Enhanced by 59 splendidly whimsical drawings by Edward Koren.


About the Author
Peter Mayle spent fifteen years in the advertising business, first as a copywriter and then as a reluctant executive, before escaping Madison Avenue in 1975 to write educational books for children.  In 1990, Mr. Mayle published A Year in Provence, which became an international bestseller.  He is also the author of Toujours Provence, Hotel Pastis, Encore Provence, Anything Considered and Chasing Cezanne.  In addition to writing books which have been translated into more than twenty languages, Mayle has contributed to the Sunday Times, Financial Times, Independent, GQ and Esquire.  He and his wife and two dogs live in the South of France.

ANNOTATION

Peter Mayle's newest book centers around the exploits of the author's beloved dog, Boy, who made his starring debut in A Year in Provence. A terrific reading experience and a perfect gift, A Dog's Life is illustrated throughout with 60 original drawings by popular New Yorker cartoonist Ed Koren. (Animals)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Once again Peter Mayle takes us to glorious Provence, this time yielding center stage to his beloved dog, Boy, a perspicacious and shaggy canine of unknown origins who recounts his event-filled life in this unique and rollicking memoir. From his humble beginnings fighting siblings for liquid sustenance, until the day he establishes undisputed control of the Mayle household, Boy describes his village life as a bachelor, his contempt for hunters, his love for chickens, his amorous interludes, his run-ins with plumbers and other human annoyances, his athletic diversions, his dinner-party tidbits, and other joyous and trying adventures in the French countryside. Boy's understanding of human foibles, his stylistic insouciance, and Edward Koren's superlative drawings make for a wonderful visit to Mayle country.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Mayle's novel purports to be a confessional autobiography-of the author's dog, Boy. (June)

Library Journal

Woof! Woof! After so many books by our two-legged "best friends" that try to decipher our "secret lives", it's so nice to have someone of our kind tell it like it really is. A dog's life can be very a good one indeed, especially if you are as lucky as the hero of our story to find an aimable human companion like Mayle, author of A Year in Provence (LJ 4/1/90), and Hotel Pastis (LJ 9/1/93). In this charming, if at times too cutsey, memoir, Boy, a shaggy but highly intelligent canine of mysterious lineage (we never use the politically incorrect "mutt"), recounts his humble beginnings with his 12 siblings, his abandonment by his mother and later by his unpleasant owner, and his wanderings through the Provenal countryside until he is adopted by the Mayles (an event also recounted in Toujours Provence, LJ 51/1/91). Judging from Edward Koren's drawings, what Boy lacks in devasting good looks is made up by his plucky personality. Canine lovers as well as francophiles and fans of Mayle's books will enjoy this. I give it three paws.-Wilda "Coco Chanel" Williams, "Library Journal"

AudioFile - Robin F. Whitten